Growing For Show.

[Alison]

I grew some of Glazebrook's onions this year, not massive but to 3lbs plus, they taste good, and the freezer now has plenty of onion for the winter stews etc.

Out of curiosity how come you've frozen your onions? I always just dry mine and store in the garage (make sure I pick a variety which stores well), my freezer is always too full of other stuff but wondered if you see an advantage, maybe ready prepped and ready for use or something?

[veggiechicken]

I'm growing for Show next year - the VVS
I'd like to grow a really long runner bean, some root veg to be proud of and a very tall sunflower.
So any hints and tips to win these will be welcome (but don't tell the others.)

Like Potty said, show growers have lots of techniques that would be worth learning. An absolute amateur, growing bog standard seeds is unlikely to be able to compete on a national scale, but I'd like to be able to grow just one big, unblemished carrot, of any variety..
Timing also puzzles me. How do they achieve a perfect veg for a set show date. Mine mature at all sorts of dates, totally unpredictable.

[Bren In Pots]

I'd like to know the secret of growing matched items, such as 3 beans I picked over 2lb just to find 3 similar looking beans.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I'm growing for Show next year - the VVS


Like Potty said, show growers have lots of techniques that would be worth learning. An absolute amateur, growing bog standard seeds is unlikely to be able to compete on a national scale, but I'd like to be able to grow just one big, unblemished carrot, of any variety..
Timing also puzzles me. How do they achieve a perfect veg for a set show date. Mine mature at all sorts of dates, totally unpredictable.

Yes, a huge amount is down to the correct variety and yes, the correct variety for showing doesn't necessarily equate to being good for the table. As an example, the finest white show potato - Winston, tastes like a bar of soap. I simply refuse to grow it. On the other hand, Kestrel, probably the best ever coloured potato on the showbench, is a superb eater.

Growing nice carrots is easy . All you need is some fleece or environmesh to keep out the dreaded fly. Someone mentioned sweet candle as a show variety and in the stump class, it generally sweeps the boards. For me however, it grows too big and ends up as something more akin to horse fodder than the ideal for the kitchen. Timing is from experience and sweet candle takes around 22 weeks from date of sowing to develop a good stump which of course is needed for the stump carrot class. They will hold in the ground for a good while but of course they will continue to grow.

Of course show carrots aren't grown in soil. They are grown in prepared stations where a hole has been bored or cored out and that hole is filled with a custom prepared compost mix.

Now, as the current National Vegetable Society National Champion for 12 pods of peas <beams with pride> the variety I grew is Show Perfection, grown as cordons up 8ft canes(just like sweet peas) over a trench filled with fym and spent potato compost top dressed with fertiliser. That pea is nicknamed the 100 day pea because it is supposed to take 100 days from sowing to maturity. I actually allowed 107 days from my show because we are up here in the frozen north and it takes longer here.

Cauliflower take roughly 13 weeks from sowing to maturity and again variety is key.

Now to pot leeks. I'm not saying anything about them because it's really secret and nobody tells how it's done

[Aberdeenplotter]

Some folk don't tell but nowadays more and more show growers are happy to share methods and even plant material including leek pips/grass and seeds.

The most helpful thing I can do is point you to a DVD filmed by one of the UK's top leek growers - John Soulsby. It is available to buy on the NVS web site. The way he grows is extensive and extreme even to me but as someone said, I think Potty, just adopting some of the method improves the end result.

To whoever said they were saving seed to continue the line if it degenerates using grass/pips, it is unlikely you will produce the same quality of leek. It could be better but it is more likely to revert to an earlier version which was later improved by reselection. The point about using grass/pips is that using such vegetative methods of propagation results in baby plants which are exact clones of the original plant. Therefore a champion quality leek will spawn champion quality baby leeks.

Any specific questions, please ask. Nowt to hide and I wouldn't want to hide it anyway. You would still have to do the growing

[bearded bloke]

Any specific questions, please ask. Nowt to hide and I wouldn't want to hide it anyway. You would still have to do the growing

Ahh but is it the actual growing or the level of dedication needed that is the hardest bit to master AP ?

I try hard & fail miserably, which I largely put down to lack of time to dedicate to the job

[Aberdeenplotter]

Bit of both matey. They need attention every day including weekends. Its easier to grow grow a dozen really good leeks than it is to grow two dozen if you don't have the time to devote to them

[veggiechicken]

Thanks AP.
Even though I'll never ever grow a giant anything, I love finding out how its done. I don't have the patience to do it properly but if I can improve just a little bit, I'll be happy
Watch out VVS, I'm out to win next year

[Potstubsdustbins]

Alison #16.

You appreciate I am sure that once the produce is out of the garden SWMBO rules. She likes her red onions in storage for sandwiches, salads etc. Her white onions frozen for stew and the like. You will note that they are now HER onions.

[Alison]

Alison #16.

You appreciate I am sure that once the produce is out of the garden SWMBO rules. She likes her red onions in storage for sandwiches, salads etc. Her white onions frozen for stew and the like. You will note that they are now HER onions.

Ah, I see . Always interesting when people do things totally differently, like to find out why in case I'm missing out but think I'll stick to what I do already in this case. Ta.

[Snadger]

Logic dictates that over a period of time vegetative reproduction will weaken the strain? Taking a clone from a clone from a clone from a clone will surely pick up virus along the way and degrade the strain? Is this not a problem for cloning anything, sheep, cows,carrots? I would have thought that every now and again (three or four years?) you would need to let seed set and grow on from this, thus selecting the best plants to allow to seed or vegetatively reproduce for next year?

Notice there's a lot of question marks in the above paragraph as these are only my guesses?

[Guest]

I found this old thread for leeks. Well worth a read

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...leeks_347.html

[chilli_grower]

Have a go at Kelsaes Bigmal!

As you know, mine did ok this year for a first attempt.

I am intending on sowing 100 kelsae seeds mid December, you are welcome to half once germinated...

[Snadger]

Have a go at Kelsaes Bigmal!

As you know, mine did ok this year for a first attempt.

I am intending on sowing 100 kelsae seeds mid December, you are welcome to half once germinated...

These big onions look lost when first planted out at 18" spacings and take up a heck of a lot of room!

[Potstubsdustbins]

Snadger, not necessarily it depends on how far down the line you intend to go. These are some of Glazebrook's strain that went to between 3 & 4 pounds.